PROGRAMME SPECIFICS

Drug abuse/addiction is a Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual disease. Treatment does not place emphasis solely on the drug of choice but on the entire process of addiction. Treatment is comprehensive and aims at helping the beneficiaries address the physical, psychological, social, cognitive, and spiritual issues in their lives.

Physical Health: The effects of addiction on physical health are often the last to appear. However, physical health also heals much quicker than the other areas that have been impaired. Within the ambit of available resources, we provide beneficiaries with a drug-free environment and good food regimen that provides them with nutrients that were lost during the period of extensive drug use.

Medical Health: Drug addicts pay little or no attention to their health. Many of them are plagued by one ailment or the other (e.g. asthma, tuberculosis, gonorrhea, HIV/AIDS, liver disease, eye problem, dental problem, serious and deep wounds especially on legs, body rashes, etc). Healing of these ailments for our beneficiaries is of paramount concern to us. We believe in divine healing, but also believe it is not a sin to be healed by means of medications as provided by medical sciences. While we encourage our beneficiaries to trust God for their healing as elucidated in James 5:14-15, we also make provisions for adequate medical care. Medical Health issues are treated by experienced medical staff at a reputable clinic with which we have retainership and the Epe General Hospital.

Cognitive Health: Cognitive health refers to a person’s reasoning, memory, judgment, intuition, and perception. When a person abuses drugs, his/her cognitive health is impaired and this has a wide variety of negative effects on the addict’s life. We employ Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to attend to each beneficiary’s specific needs.

Psychological Health: When a person’s psychological health deteriorates due to drug abuse, symptoms include irritability, frustration, suspiciousness, delusions, hallucinations, anxiety, depression, paranoia, etc. We use the Bible and time-tested psychology principles as basis for solutions to the problems of life. Once a beneficiary’s psychological health is stabilized, he/she will be able to gain a full understanding of every crucial aspect in the recovery process.

Social and Emotional Health: Drug abuse/addiction causes a rapid decline in social health. The addict’s socialization skills decreases as the drug use increases. Drug addicts often experience social isolation. Isolation leads to loneliness, and loneliness leads to depression, outbursts of anger and rage, resentment and hate. Overtime, isolation will often cause the addict to lack love, joy, intimacy, and warmth. Because the addict (beneficiary) has not experienced hope in a long time, we instill hope in him/her and teach him/her to apply Christian character qualities to his/her everyday life.

Spiritual Health: Drug addiction affects spirituality. Spirituality being the individual’s own path toward inner peace and happiness, the quality of the individual’s spirit and the way he/she feels connected to God and the world around him/her. Drug abuse/addiction disconnects the individual from God. Behaviours related to drug abuse/addiction, such as lying, cheating, stealing, selfishness, greed, rebellion, etc., challenge the characteristics of God. Drug addicts will continue to separate themselves from God while using drugs. Most addicts don’t realize that they need God until their addiction puts them flat on their back and the only direction left is to look up. This is at the point most addicts come to CADAM. We therefore put into consideration this disconnection that occurs with drug abuse/addiction, and because we believe that the power of God is stronger than the bonds of addiction we design our treatment to assist with helping the addict (our beneficiary) reconnect with God.

Communal Living: Our treatment and rehabilitation facility is a small, localized community of persons expected to pursue common interests, values, beliefs and resources, and sharing responsibilities.

Work: All beneficiaries take part in cleaning and maintaining the camp facilities. Immediately after the period of detoxification, beneficiaries are assigned specific responsibilities in the upkeep of the camp, which is also rotational. For some of them, this will be their first experience of work, following instructions, and working as part of a team. For others, their work can lead to future life skills.

Recreation: All beneficiaries are encouraged to take part in recreational activities. Recreation helps to keep them healthy and fit. It helps them to invest the time that should be wasted staying idle or doing unprofitable things. We therefore allocate specific and adequate time for recreational activities.

Additional Training Opportunities: These include Vocational Training, and Adult Education to help beneficiaries who are not literate.

Family Counselling: Families play a large part in the recovery of addicted persons. Every one of these people have to fight back against addiction, and chances are, nearly all of them have family members and friends rooting for their eventual recovery. Drug addictions don’t happen in silos. They happen in families and communities filled with loving people. When addiction strikes, those family members and friends need not only to take steps to get the addicted person to treatment, but also need to take care of their own health so that they can provide the love and support the addicted person need in order to heal. Our Family Counselling helps families do just that.

After-Care: We help ease the transition from residential treatment back into everyday life with our After-Care Our After-Care team works with the beneficiary throughout his/her treatment stay to make a plan for long-term recovery.Beneficiaries who complete our residential programme are eligible to return to our After-Care Relapse Management Programme, if they should relapse or feel the need for additional support.